Kansas Wesleyan’s Department of Music will be well represented at the Kansas Music Education Association’s (KMEA) annual in-service workshop, which will be held Feb. 24-26 at Wichita’s Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center.
Dr. Anne Gassmann, Assistant Professor and Director of Choral Music, will present two clinics during the conference. On Friday, Feb. 25, she will examine how gender norms affect collegial relationships, communication and leadership expectations. The second clinic on Saturday, Feb. 26 will address the role of mental health in maintaining music educators’ private and professional standards.
“The clinics at the KMEA in-service workshop are vetted and peer-reviewed to provide the highest quality workshops for practicing music educators in the state of Kansas,” said Dr. James McAllister, department chair. “The selection of both of Dr. Gassmann’s clinic proposals reflects the high-quality work that she is doing in the classroom. I am very proud to have an academic of her abilities on our team at KWU.”
The department will also be represented by two students who were selected for the Kansas Intercollegiate Band (KIB). Senior Raquel Fuentes-Fritz (clarinet) and sophomore Taiton Reed (tenor saxophone) were both chosen through a blind audition to join this prestigious ensemble of Kansas musicians.
“The KIB is an opportunity for our students to perform in a group of their peers, work with a world-class conductor and network with other band students from around the state,” Dr. McAllister said. “It is a wonderful honor for the two students selected and emblematic of both Taiton’s and Raquel’s dedication to their instruments.”
The Kansas Intercollegiate Band will perform at the event Friday.
Finally, KWU will also be hosting an information booth in the exhibit hall and an alumni reception on Friday as well. The reception will be held in room 210A of Century II from 5-6 p.m.
